C-54 Severely Damaged by Tornado!
C-54 "SPIRIT OF FREEDOM" DAMAGED BY TORNADO!
To our loyal and dedicated support group: It is with a heavy heart we announce our Douglas C-54, the Spirit of Freedom" was severely damaged early in the morning of Monday April 13, 2020 by tornados that ravaged the Carolinas causing wide spread destruction and loss of life. Our Douglas C-54 was parked at the Walterboro, SC airport on December 18, 2019 for the installation of a new Stratus Transponder to comply with the FAA mandate for transponders meeting the ADS-B requirements by January 1, 2020. Thanks to Swamp Fox Avionics at the Walterboro Airport, our C-54 is now in compliance. It is too early to assess the extent of the tornado damage, however, photographs reveal the leading edge of the right outerwing and the rear left center wing flap area received substantial damage. Due to the many restrictions now in place regarding the Covid19 virus epidemic, it will take some time to reach a full evaluation. Our concerns and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones due to the tornado outbreak. A sincere thank you to everyone for your continued support over the years to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation to help keep the Douglas C-54 and our Boeing C-97 flying on their missions of history, education, and remembrance about the great Berlin Airlift of 1948 and 1949.
Thank you.
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